"Honestly, I'm tempted to loosen the leash a bit, just to see what kind of fun you'll bring me after you break through." The Cloud Giant materialized high in the sky, looking down at Jill Young below. He raised his right hand dramatically. "But if you want to do big things, you can't just follow your whims. So—" His massive palm clenched in midair, and a terrifying surge of deep purple lightning crackled and exploded in his grasp, swiftly morphing into a supercharged lightning spear over two hundred meters long.
Its destructive force was so insane, it rattled the heavens before it was even thrown, sending shockwaves through the thick storm clouds above.
Dream Monroe, miles away, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her expression flickered with uncertainty, but in the end, she couldn't help glancing back.
"Alright, that's enough. Time to get back to business. Let the world know—a brand new era has begun!" The giant snapped his left fingers, and in a daze, Jill Young heard a series of distant explosions rumbling across the land.
A wave of dread crashed into her heart, but Jill's spirit was so drained, she couldn't even react.
Then.
"And now, please become the sacrifice for the new era!" The Cloud Giant struck a pose, his six-colored radiance scattering like a solar corona, the deep purple spear gleaming with world-ending menace. All his power focused into that spear, and with a movement like Mount Tai toppling, he hurled it down with savage force: "Mahā Infinite—Divine Might Unleashed!"
The enormous deep purple spear shot down from the heavens, blasting through layer after layer of violent air rings. Rain, wind, air, dust—everything in its path was vaporized in an instant. The purple glow grew larger and closer in Jill Young's eyes, bathing her in violet light. From this angle, it was like a giant laser cannon aimed straight at her.
Can I dodge this?
No way.
With her spirit totally wiped out, even if her body was still strong, Jill's reflexes couldn't keep up. This hit was basically a guaranteed knockout.
Can I survive this?
No way.
Before the spear even hit, the demonic armor around her wings was already crackling and popping. Whatever evil magic was left inside shrieked in terror, like it knew the end was coming. Her ironclad body trembled, ready to fall apart at any second. This move—'Infinite Divine Might'—was probably as close to the sixth limit as you could get.
But right now, there's something even more important.
There's something even more important than saving myself.
Even at the end of her rope, Jill Young still had one last card up her sleeve. She never thought she'd need it, but now was the perfect time to play it.
Finally... far enough from Earth...
Why refuse Big Lug's backup? Why not call him for a little psychic wheel support?
It was all just in case—everything was for this moment!
Facing that deep purple lightning pillar, Jill Young threw up her right hand with all her might—a flash of gold danced in her palm, like she was sending out some kind of cosmic SOS.
Meanwhile, over at Endless View Cottage, right in front of the old wizard prepping his spell like nobody’s business, Susan Morrow’s left hand lit up with a golden glow too.
Thump-thump, thump-thump—their heartbeats echoed each other, like a pair of drums at a cosmic concert.
It worked...
Thud. Jill Young’s arm dropped, and she went out like a light—straight into dreamland.
Just then.
Huh?
It was the Cloud Giant who reacted first—the purple lightning spear shot downward at breakneck speed. But then, another force, even faster, tore through the sky. He hadn’t even noticed it before, like it barely existed. But as it surged in, a weird sense of doom bloomed inside him, and a shadowy figure went from blurry to real in his mind’s eye.
The Cloud Giant jerked his head up—his magic eyes blazed, and he spotted a dazzling burst of starlight at the edge of the sky.
In the glow of those stars, a woman soared with wings stretched wide—like some kind of cosmic angel. She drew her bow, aimed straight at them. Behind her, a giant symbol for "Break" flashed, big enough to split the heavens. The symbol shrank fast, like a bullet getting loaded, and in a blink it fused into the arrow she held.
The arrowhead sliced through the void—even before it flew, black cracks like lightning shot out everywhere.
Bathed in that glow, The Divine finally got a good look at her face and froze. "You’re..."
The next second, pain stabbed his chest—The Divine glanced down and saw the arrow buried right in his heart.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" The purple lightning spear shattered instantly, and the massive Cloud Giant let out a scream that shook the world. His body and energy were always a bit out of whack—he’d just been forcing it all to work. But now, that arrow packed with 'Break' power smashed his balance to bits. The Cloud Giant’s shape flickered and blurred, rainbow light spraying everywhere. He’d been hit right at his core.
"Remember, from now on, I don’t owe you a thing." Miles away, Dream Monroe stashed her cosmic bow and flew off without looking back.
It looked like firing that arrow was no big deal, but suddenly her face went pale as a ghost.
Dream Monroe had almost melted into the fate void, but by attacking directly—and getting noticed—she was yanked right back out. If she’d been some nobody, it wouldn’t matter. But she was Top Eight on the Heavenly List, "Second Under Heaven." The Divine was tangled up in so much karma, so much weight, it was like a cosmic anchor.
The fate void roared, destiny’s river surged—Dream Monroe got yanked halfway out into reality.
Bang! The boy’s tablet exploded, sparks flying everywhere—toast, totally fried.
"That’s it..." Thud—the boy collapsed, cold sweat pouring, eyes blank. "It’s over... totally over... my one chance... last chance... Patch the sky? Forget it, not happening..."
Just when the boy thought all hope was lost, something finally stirred in the back room—the one that’d been dead quiet this whole time.
Creak, creak—a wheelchair rolled out slow and steady. Nina, the little blind girl, showed up behind the boy.
"Don’t rush to despair," Nina said, cool as a cucumber. "It’s not time to give up yet."
"Not time? What else could possibly work?!" The boy shot to his feet, ready to grill the first pillar of the Six-Pointed Star about why she refused to lend a hand. But then something clicked, and he blurted, "Wait—did you see more than I did? Was my whole plan doomed from the start?"
Nina didn’t answer. She just said softly, "A master of battle wins no fame, a master of schemes leaves no name. Sometimes, the best move is not to play, and that’s how you make it to the end."
"Not play the game... to win the game?" Fate Guide felt a deep jolt, but the meaning slipped right through his fingers—he was totally stumped.
But no matter how lost he was, the world kept spinning—nothing was gonna wait for him to catch up.
Back at Endless View Cottage, inside the old house—thump-thump, thump-thump—the heartbeat kept getting closer.
Huge waves of magic built up at the tip of the Archmage’s staff, but before he could finish his spell, a blast of golden light burst from Susan Morrow’s left hand.
Jill Young had stashed her final trump card on Susan Morrow ages ago. Now, for the real showdown, it was time to play her ace!
From the golden rain of light, a long-haired man shot out like a comet.
Teacher Yang—his true self—finally appeared in Endless View Cottage!